Ceiling



W. HURD.

CEILING.

Patented Feb. 25, 1896.

FFlCE.,

PATENT \VARREN IIURD, OF \VATKINS, NEXV YORK.

CEILING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 555,097, dated February 25, 1896.

Application filed November S, 1895. Serial No' 568.342. (No model.)

To all whom 't may concern- Bc it known that I, XVARREN HL'RD, a citizen of the United States, residing at VVatkins, in the County of Schuyler and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ceilings; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the acconpanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The purpose of my invention is to provide a ceiling which can be put up in sections with greater facility and cheapness, and which will present a finished and beautiful appearance.

To this end my device consists of certain peculiarly-constructed strips or moldings, togetherwith panels adaptcd to be inserted between them, and other details of Construction which will be more 'ully described hereinafter and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l represents a perspective view, partly in section of the outside of my improved ceiling as applied to an ordinary building, one of the corner-blocks being shown removed a short distance to disclose the connections beneath; Fig. 2, a perspective view illustrating the manner in which the panels and moldings are inserted, and Fig. 3 a perspective View of a cornerjoint in which the parts are shown cnlarged.

The reference-letter a denotes the panels which are composed ot leXible sheets ot wood veneer, although it is apparent that metal or other kinds of material might be successfully substituted. These panels are rectangular and are held in position to form the ceiling by moldings or strips b placed crosswise ot' each other to leave a rectangular space for the panels. In the opposite sides ot the m oldings are longitudinal grooves o adapted to receive the edges of the panels. These grooves are so cut as to leave a base-fiange d which bears against the joists e and over-laps' the edge of the panel and projects beyond the edge of a lower ange, f,which supports the panel. The sides of the moldings are provided with a lon gitudinal bevel g,extending transversely from the central portion of the molding up to suitably recessed to fit over the ends of these cross-moldings. hen thus constructed the parts are put together by first nailing moldings b in the corners of the ceiling, then fastening two or more moldings to the ceiling parallel to each other and a suitable distance apart to receive the panels. The latter are then applied by bending them downward, as shown in Fig. 2, so as to draw the opposite edges nearer together and permit them to pass by the fiange f and enter the grooves c in the moldings. In this operation the bevel g will serve as a guide in allowing the edge of the panel to slide over it into the groove, and the widened base-fiange comes into play to prevent the edge of the panel from moving past the groove and becoming caught against the edge of the fiange, for it will be seen that the moment the edge of the panel passes the edge of the fiange f it will come into contact with the under surface of the fiange d, spring laterally into the groove, flatten itself out, and be held in its place. After having been inserted in the grooves the panel should be moved edgewise until the third edge enters the groove in the corner moldin g b. A cross molding or rail b' should now be placed in a relatively oblique position between the parallel moldings, then straightened around into a rectangular position parallel with the unconfined edge of the panel, to bring the tongu es i, into the grooves and hold the bar in place and at the same time bring its own grooves into coincidence with the intersectng moldings. The bar should now be slid laterally until the edge of the panel enters the groove in its side. The corner-blocks are next applied, whereuponone panel of the ceiling will be completed. The entire ceiling can be forned by a repetition of substantially the same process.

Although I have shown corner-blocks to cover the intersections of the moldings, yet it is evident that they might be dispensed with by concaving the end of the cross-mohiing to fit snugly over the bevel g, as shown at the point m in Fig. l; but this Way is much more laborious and expensive than the other, because a carpenter can saw the end to form the square face h and apply a corner-block in much less time than he could cut out a con cavity.

Among the advantages of my ceiling are those of surpassing beauty when natural Woods are used and eXceeding cheapness owing to the use of veneer and the ease and quickness with which it can be put on.

Having thus described my invention what I claim isl. In a ceiling, two or more arallel moldings havin g longitudnal grooves in their contiguous sides, a supporting-fiange constituting the lower Wall of the groove, a base-fiange constituting the upper Wall and being Wider than the supporting-fiange, and a beveled side, in combinaton with a fiexible panel adapted to be Sprung in between said moldings, substantially as described.

2. A eeiling composed of panels sustained by moldings having longitudinal grooves to receive the edges of the panels, beveled sides sloping to the grooves, a supporting-fiange, a base-fiange Wider than the supporting-flange and a flexible panel adapted to be Sprung into said groove, all combined to operate as and for the purposes set forth.

3. A ceiling eonposed of arallel, grooved moldings b each having a supporting-fiange f, and base-fiange d, Wider than the supporting-fiange, a beveled side g, a fiexible panel the edges of which are adapted to be Sprung into the grooves, and a cross-molding having grooves to coincide with those of the other moldings, and a tongue adapted to enter the latter, all arranged and adapted to operate in the manner and for the purposes set forth.

In Wtness Whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

XVARREN IIURD.

NVitnesses:

H. V. L. JoNEs, XVM. D. HURD. 

